The eldest prince Xuan Fei was slapped so hard that he felt his entire face burning.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

From childhood to adulthood, his father had never hit him.

Xuan Fei only felt a surge of anger rising in his heart, but he endured it at this time. Then he suddenly realized the meaning of his father's words just now.

Did my actions ruin my father's plan?
What is the plan?
Xuan Fei immediately asked, "Could it be that Father has already found a way to target Jun Lintian?"

"Are you planning to gather a large army and fight back to the border?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately knelt down on one knee again: "Father! Your son Xuan Fei requests a fight!"

"Shut up!"

Unexpectedly, Emperor Wu glared at him coldly, his eyes full of displeasure.

Even at this point, Xuan Fei still couldn't understand his deep meaning.

Is my son really so useless?
Emperor Wu glanced at Xuan Fei and said coldly: "When did I say I would fight back?"

"And you, you still want to lead the troops yourself? Can you compare with Qin Chi in fighting?"

There was a hint of disdain in his tone.

He was not very optimistic about his son.

Especially the act of taking the initiative to lead troops to counterattack was overestimating one's own abilities.

Qin Chi had been familiar with military books since he was a child and had made great military achievements, but Xuan Fei had not even read many military books.

If the army of the Xuanwu Empire were really handed over to him, I'm afraid two wars would be enough to exhaust all the military forces.

Xuan Fei's expression was becoming increasingly ugly.

But at this moment he could only suppress his anger and keep the words his mother had said to him in his heart.

After all, Emperor Wu is still the emperor of the Xuanwu Empire.

He himself is just a prince. Whether he can become the crown prince and whether he can inherit the throne in the future are all questions. Naturally, he cannot contradict his father again.

Xuan Fei could only suppress his anger and ask, "What does Father mean?"

Emperor Wu sneered and said, "Knowing so much will do you no good. Your personality is not suitable for participating in these plans."

"But my idea is nothing more than to want Mabi to reign supreme. As long as he lets down his guard here, I can find a suitable opportunity to kidnap him."

"I can even send him to the ancient country of the Southern Barbarians, so that I can divert the trouble to the east and reap the benefits."

Emperor Wu’s idea is actually quite simple.

He knew that the Great Zhou Dynasty not only had a grudge against their Xuanwu Empire, but had also recently come into conflict with the ancient Nanman Kingdom.

In particular, the prince Aguda of the ancient Nanman country disappeared near the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Just like his son Xuanfeng, since they all disappeared during the Great Zhou Dynasty, they must be related to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It is even very likely that the Jun family did it.

Emperor Wu never thought of having a direct conflict with the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Doing so would only consume one's own military strength.

You must know that the Xuanwu Empire is surrounded by wolves. Even if it wins the battle with the Great Zhou Dynasty, it will definitely not be able to resist the invasion of other countries.

But after hearing what Emperor Wu said, Xuan Fei looked embarrassed.

"Father, I'm afraid your plan won't succeed."

"It is so difficult to kidnap Jun Lintian. He is extremely cunning and meticulous, and..."

Xuan Fei hesitated for a moment, and finally repeated his guess: "If I am not mistaken, Jun Lintian must be accompanied by a top master."

"Father, don't you think about it? Since Jun Lintian is sure to come to the Xuanwu Empire, how could he only bring those guards?"

"The Jun family will never allow him to get into trouble here."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wu couldn't help but frown, obviously dissatisfied with Xuan Fei's questioning.

He glanced at Xuan Fei coldly, and said in a cold voice: "Are you questioning my decision?" Xuan Fei's heart was shocked, and he quickly lowered his head, suppressing his anger and said: "Father, I have absolutely no such intention!"

"But Jun Lintian is really cunning. How could he kill Zhou Lie by himself? He even dumped the body near the city gate."

"I now even suspect that his cultivation is much higher than before. If you want to kidnap him, the risk is too great."

"If the plan fails, not only will we fail to get rid of him, but it will cause even greater trouble."

After hearing these words, Emperor Wu did not respond for a long time. He just stared at Xuan Fei in silence.

After a long while, he spoke: "I have my own plans, and it is not your turn to interfere!"

After hearing this, Xuan Fei was angry, but he also knew that if he continued to argue, it would only make his father even more unhappy.

He clenched his teeth, lowered his head and said no more.

But a seed has already been planted in my heart.

After this incident, Xuan Fei no longer wanted to sit and wait for death.

If he doesn't make some achievements, I'm afraid my father will not be able to hand over the throne to him with confidence...

--------

After leaving the imperial study.

A hint of viciousness flashed across Xuan Fei's face.

Since his father has become so timid, he naturally has to take on the responsibility.

He now has a rough plan.

At this moment, Zhou Lie has died at the hands of Jun Lintian.

The news must have been passed back to the Zhou family, and the head of the Zhou family, Marquis Zhongyong Zhou Yue, has always doted on his legitimate son.

After hearing the news of Zhou Lie's death, he will definitely not let Jun Lintian off easily.

When he thought of this, Xuan Fei couldn't contain his excitement and he couldn't wait to implement this plan.

My father doesn't want to hurt Jun Lintian, but others may not dare to do so.

Marquis Zhongyong is extremely loyal to the court. As long as he tells him what just happened in the imperial study, he will surely be disappointed with the court and his father.

By then, with the pain of losing his son and the disappointment in the court, he would definitely ask Jun Lintian for an explanation.

Not long after.

Xuan Fei had already arrived at the Mansion of Marquis Zhongyong.

At this moment, a depressing atmosphere permeated the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. Even the guards standing at the door had no smiles on their faces.

Seeing the eldest prince coming, the guards hurriedly saluted.

"See the eldest prince!"

Xuan Fei pretended to be disappointed and said, "This prince has heard about your young master's death."

"This prince has some important matters concerning Brother Zhou Lie that I need to discuss with your family head."

As a prince, it was naturally impossible for him to be on friendly terms with anyone outside the royal family.

The reason why he called Zhou Lie brother was simply to let these people remember his kindness.

When the guard heard this, his face was slightly moved.

"Your Highness... I will go in and inform the head of the family right away."

Afterwards, the eldest prince entered the Zhou family under the guidance of the guards.

In the Zhou family's flower hall.

Zhou Lie's body was covered with a white cloth and placed in the center of the hall.

Zhou Yue, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, sat upright, his eyes full of sadness.

His wives and concubines were also weeping non-stop, but it was unknown how many of them were sincere. (End of this chapter)